Zutara100
by InsertNamesHere
Summary: The list of one hundred Zutara topics in drabble form. Range in rating and tone, also, not in any order other than the one we write them in.
1. 4 Insides

4. Insides

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, or Staind, or the song Outside.

A/N: Set during Southern Raiders. Slightly inspired by the song Outside, by Staind.

Zuko and Katara were silent as they flew over the ocean. Katara didn't want to talk, Zuko thought she probably never would want to talk, not to him. It didn't seem to matter what he did to beg her forgiveness, it just wasn't in her to let herself trust him again. But then, he didn't see much reason why he deserved Katara's forgiveness, much as he irrationally longed for it.

When Katara had suggested bringing her mother back, Zuko had been hit with the idea for the next best thing; revenge for her death. He'd had no guarantee that Katara would even want to go along with the idea, but he'd figured he had to try something.

But when it came down to it, Katara had jumped at the prospect. Zuko had felt something jolt in him when she'd turned to look at him in shock. She'd actually looked at him for the first time since Ba Sing Sei. In that instance, Zuko had seen through her to the rage that she kept barely bridled, only unleashed on him. He saw through her to the part that was just as destroyed as he had been, just as ugly.

Sitting in Appa's saddle, Zuko watched the back of her head in the half light before dawn. Katara was tensed, ready for a fight, though it wouldn't come for at least another day and a half. Seeing her this rigid and angry, Zuko found he missed the Katara he'd met in the catacombs beneath the earth nation capitol. It felt almost like regret, how he wanted to be that close to her again without feeling rage and hate pouring off of her.

* * *

When she'd finished her threats, Zuko had been surprised that he wasn't surprised. Consciously, Zuko had believed Katara might go through with it, might take a life, but some other, deeper part knew she never would if she could help it. And it shocked him that he knew this. He'd thought he'd seen what she was capable of when she turned to him that day when she'd looked at him again. And he realized he'd seen deeper than he thought. He'd seen all the anger and the willingness to hurt, but he'd also seen what she was capable of in terms of compassion.

Zuko had seen every part of her now, he believed. The look she had given him after she'd walked away from the man cowering in the road before her had spoken volumes. She still held that scarred person inside, the one he matched perfectly. But alongside it was the person he'd seen in Ba Sing Sei, the one who had a tremendous capacity to love and to forgive, to trust. And he realized that maybe there was hope for him yet.

* * *

Katara held Zuko's gaze for a moment before she hugged him, and in that moment, they came to an understanding. Though Aang might still hold the hope that Katara would someday forgive the Southern Raiders of their sins, Zuko knew she had spoken the truth when she said she wouldn't.

In the glance, Katara had seen how Zuko saw her, how he really, actually took the time to see her from the outside looking in. She found he was right in thinking he was just like her. They held the same wounds, and they held the same grudges that would never allow for forgiveness. But they both also had what it took to move on, if not to forgive.

She had the power and compassion of a healer running through her, and he carried the strength and light of rebirth.

A/N: Okay, first chap on a new story! Awesome! Hopefully we'll be able to finish all of the list. Which means this should have one hundred chapters...that seems like a lot. Anyway, R&R, please!

- Jade

Lily: counting One, six, twelve, eleven, what? Okay, I may fail at math, but that does seem like a big number...


	2. 1, 2, and 3

A/N: Okay, so this is three in one because they all go together. It's kinda long, so bear with me here.

Disclaimer: Hey, you guys see the finale last night? That should be an indication of how much I don't own Avatar.

1. Beginnings

The end of the war made room for everything Katara and Zuko had pushed out of the way, everything that had to do with their own personal pleasure. In the days following, Zuko and Mai got back together and Katara finally reciprocated Aang's feelings. They were happy; all of them.

Zuko and Mai went back to how it had been, except Mai had proven that she cared enough about Zuko, even if she didn't show it enthusiastically all the time. And besides, being royalty treated her well. After years of waiting for Zuko to like her back, she got her wish. And Zuko wasn't alone anymore.

Aang was happier than he'd ever been, and Katara was happy for him. They followed the same path they always had as companions, only this time, it felt a bit stronger and the kisses were no longer just on the cheek. It was easy to fall into their relationship, given how close they'd become as friends.

2. Middles

It didn't take too long before things fell apart. They were bound to.

Mai questioned Zuko's love. She'd given up her freedom for him. And what had he done? Saved the world instead of her. They fought, and eventually made up, and fought again. When they tired of the fighting, Mai got bored, as she was prone to. Zuko just didn't live up to her expectations of him. He was supposed to be dangerous, the bad boy, something exciting. And here he was, being unfailingly, monotonously happy.

Zuko found out about the other men easily. Mai didn't bother hiding it very well. Perhaps she wanted to start something. She seemed extremely annoyed when there was nothing wrong with their relationship, or when Zuko was, happily, himself. It hurt, but it would have hurt more to try to hold onto her, so Zuko let her go. She was emotionless, and that hurt too, but Zuko tried not to show that she'd hurt him for not being able to accept him, that only would have angered her more.

Aang didn't see anything wrong between him and Katara. But then, he wouldn't. As he'd told her, she was his Forever Girl. But Katara didn't think he was her forever.

Not much changed when they got together, and for a long time, that was okay. But after a few months of being boyfriend and girlfriend, Katara thought it was just not working. Their maturity levels were simply too far apart. Katara still felt like she was handling a child, not someone she could be truly romantic with. She tried, oh Lord did she try, but Aang would forever be hers to look after, as a mother to a child.

She didn't want to leave him. For nearly a year, she stayed so as not to hurt his feelings. Then she realized that was the problem. It was all about Aang. Their relationship made him happy, and that was why it existed. Because she couldn't stand to see him hurt, even if it was making her miserable.

It eventually fell apart when Katara became more and more distant. Aang finally noticed, and when he asked her about it, Katara couldn't help but be honest. It nearly broke her heart to see his face fall, to hear him pleading that he could change. But this time, it was a true case of It's not you, it's me. No matter how much Aang grew or changed (and he had), Katara would always only love him as her child.

And so they broke up, doomed to be friends.

3. Endings

Every year, the group that had defeated the Fire Lord met up in a sort of reunion. The first year had been set in the Western air temple to commemorate the place they had all rallied together. Next, they'd met in the Southern Water Tribe village in time for Sokka and Suki's marriage. This year, they were invited to the Fire Nation capitol where they had all fought three years ago.

Sokka and Suki were first to arrive. This meant that Zuko was raced with the honor of being first to hear about Suki's newly discovered pregnancy. He congratulated them and arranged to have the servers give Suki something nonalcoholic during meals.

Toph showed up early the next day, greeting the other three with a crushing hug and immediately asking about food. Aang came next, a few hours after Toph. The others were surprised to see he had brought someone with him. Sokka was the only one who recognized her.

"Meng?!" Sokka asked disbelievingly. "You got all…pretty!"

Suki whacked her husband soundly.

Meng only laughed and stroked her now very manageable-looking hair. "Yeah," she said. "And I grew into my gap." She smiled, showing considerably less gappy teeth.

Katara still hadn't arrived when they all went to bed. Zuko hoped she would be in time for the public celebration the following day. He knew the people were looking forward to seeing the legendary waterbender almost as much as seeing the Avatar.

Zuko was the first to wake the next day, rising with the sun. He was shocked to find Katara lounging in his throne. The waterbender sat comfortably, as if she belonged there.

"Well, hello," Katara said with a smirk. She hopped down from the throne and greeted the Fire Lord with a hug.

"What were you doing?" he asked, mock serious. "Taking the Fire Lord's throne is considered a treasonous act."

"Zuko, do I threaten you that much?" Katara asked teasingly.

"It's just the principle of the thing…" Zuko replied in a mumble. At that moment, a blue and brown blur shot past him.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted happily. "We were worried about you!" He hugged his sister, who laughed and hugged him back.

"Sorry Sokka, I got here around midnight," she explained. "My boat got held up. No wind."

Suki, Toph, Aang, and Meng showed up soon after, and the original group was reunited…plus one. They all caught up with each other, Katara excitedly congratulating her brother ad sister-in-law on their anticipated bundle of joy.

At midday, people began gathering in the courtyard in front f the palace. Fire Lord Zuko gave a speech welcoming his guests and inviting his people to celebrate with them the anniversary of the end of the war.

The guests of honor were immediately surrounded by fans and well wishers as the congregation collapsed into something reminiscent of the Fire Days Festival. All of them were given free food and drink and were congratulated, admired, generally liked. It was pleasant, but the real fun would start when it was just the original group without so many strangers in the way.

So maybe it wasn't the classic form of fun, but it was less oppressive than the huge gathering of earlier. The group hung around talking about all they'd been through, reminiscing. And slowly getting more and more drunk. Suki, Aang, and Meng stayed sober, the first because she had to, the others by choice.

Sokka and Suki were the first to turn in, y order of the latter. They were followed quickly by Aang and Meng. Toph stayed for a while before she decided she'd better leave while she still had enough consciousness to "see." This left Zuko and Katara.

Zuko was, surprisingly, a happy drunk. Katara meanwhile, seemed to have all her censors turned off. The two sat simply grinning at each other for the longest time.

"You know, I always thought that, that you were attractive too," Zuko said, out of the blue.

"When did…I say that?" Katara asked, confused, but not offended.

"In the…in the play," Zuko answered. "In the cave. In Ba Sing Sei."

Katara laughed. "Zuko, that wasn't me."

"Oh," Zuko said, sounding disappointed. "I meant it though," he continued with an easy smile. "You're beautiful."

"Thanks," Katara said unabashedly. "You're not too bad yourself."

This led to a whole lot of staring that would have been awkward, given less alcohol. Zuko once again interrupted all of a sudden.

"What would you do if I kissed you?"

Katara was silent for a moment. "Kiss you back," she answered honestly.

"You promise?" Zuko asked in earnest. She nodded. So he leaned forward and kissed her. Katara kept her promise.

The next morning found Katara very confused, quite comfortable, and a bit hung over. She turned, or tried to, only to find an arm around her waist holding her firmly in position. Katara's eyes snapped wide open. Looking down at the arm, she saw it was one she recognized, pale and thinly muscled. She groaned internally. Well, on the bright side, at least she wasn't in a stranger's bed. On the not-so-bright side, she may or may not have slept with Zuko. Which was pretty high up on the Bad Idea list.

Katara tried to extract herself from him without waking him up, but froze when Zuko moved closer and groaned her name into her neck. Oh God, she thought hopelessly, this is so embarrassing.

A moment later, when she was sure Zuko was awake, his arm around her tightened and he sighed almost regretfully. This would be more awkward than she thought. Katara shifted, and Zuko released her, backing off slightly.

"So…" she said slowly, facing him. "Did we…?"

"No!" he answered quickly. "No, I…no." Zuko fidgeted with a thread on his pillow nervously.

"Oh." Katara sighed, relieved. "Okay then. So, how did we end up here?"

"Well, we sort of…kissed. Do you remember that?"

"I remember kissing you and the rest is sort of fuzzy."

"Okay," he said, sounding hesitant and awkward. "So, um, well you kind of wouldn't let go of me after that, and you said…you…never mind," he said quickly. "You just didn't want to leave, so you stayed."

"Oh." Katara was silent for a moment, then, "What was it I said?"

Zuko tensed slightly and looked away. "Nothing. I…I don't remember."

Katara looked at him seriously. "Zuko, you're a terrible liar. I said it, I deserve to know, now tell me."

"You…you said…you said you loved me, okay?" He turned over so his back was facing her. "But we both know you didn't mean it, s you can just go." Katara couldn't place why, but he sounded hurt.

"And…if I did?" Zuko flipped around so fast, it almost made her head hurt. The quick hope that flashed over his face hurt somewhere in her chest. Katara was hit with and impulse, and decided to follow it. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Zuko was quiet in a shocked sort of way.

"Since when?" he asked softly, disbelieving.

"Since you took a bolt of lightning for me," she answered honestly. Zuko looked as if he hadn't expected an answer, but this one amused him. Katara didn't ask if he loved her back. The slow grin and the way his body relaxed spoke volumes on the subject.

"So how long for you?" Katara asked, feeling herself smile back.

"Ever since you showed mercy to an old man who didn't deserve it." They both knew he was talking about the Southern Raiders episode.

Katara relaxed back into the pillows of the Fire Lord's bed, noting they were much more comfortable than her own. She didn't move away when Zuko's arm came to wrap around her waist again.

As she fell back into sleep, Katara thought it was the perfect ending for a beginning.

A/N: Alrighty, you guys know the drill, please review! And again, sorry I broke the rules and put three together.

- Jade


	3. 12 Orange

**12. Orange**

Disclaimer: Avatar is owned by Bryke, Nickelodeon, and the infamous Viacom. Kuzon, Huo, and Caylee are property of Lily. And ferocious bat-bears are my creation. They are terrifying and afraid of vegetables.

* * *

Zuko should have known something bad was coming when he was able to relax for a period of time longer than ten minutes. Regardless of this fact, he enjoyed it as best he could. Zuko retreated to his private library, leaving instructions for the guards outside the door that he wasn't to be interrupted. He then fell on the large plush couch within, heaving a sigh of relief.

His danger senses began perking up after the first ten minutes of silence. Zuko ignored it, burying his face in a large pillow. Another five minutes and Zuko groaned, knowing his sixth sense for these things hadn't failed him. His wife was walking toward him. Loudly.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" He flinched, the title telling him he was in Big Trouble. "Why is our child orange?!" Katara's voice was not the opposite of happy.

Zuko sat up sharply. Okay, that hadn't been expected. Looking around at Katara, Zuko saw she had their youngest daughter with her. Caylee was currently a pale shade of…orange.

"What…how should I know?" Zuko picked up his daughter to inspect her and saw she had the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Caylee, what happened?" he asked, concerned.

Caylee sniffed. "I dunno. I'm just changing color," she answered, as clueless as her parents in the situation.

Katara glared at her husband, obviously blaming him. "I think it's something she's eating. You're the one who knows what the cooks are feeding them. What's going on?" She sounded angry, but there was also a hint of panic. It's not every day your child turns a different color.

"Nothing weird," Zuko answered. "I can't think of anything that could have caused this. Caylee? Did you do anything new?"

"Well…" The way she dragged out the word told them both there was something going on. Zuko and Katara eyed each other, wondering how they'd gotten pegged with such…adorable children.

"Kuzon and Huo were talking about ferocious bat-bears and I got scared. And they wanted me to feel better, so they told me how to keep bat-bears away." Zuko shot his wife a disbelieving look and mouthed _Bat-bears? _"So they said that if you eat a bunch of carrots, than the bat-bears think you taste bad, so I ate a lot of 'em. But I don't know why that matters. It's just to keep the bat-bears away."

Katara sighed. "Okay, honey, you just need to stop eating so many carrots." She looked to Zuko. "Sorry about that, I…well, I freaked out."

"It's okay, I understand. But what do carrots…?" Zuko didn't quite get the connection. Neither did Caylee, from the matching looks on her and her father's faces. Katara explained that a large amount of carrots could, in fact, turn a person orange. Caylee's mouth dropped open in outrage.

"They tricked me!" Caylee shouted indignantly. "Those stupid, stupid boys! I hate them so much!" With that, the girl stormed off to secure revenge against her older brothers. Katara and Zuko watched in silence. They both jumped when the six year old let out a bloodcurdling scream of rage, followed by twin masculine screams of terror. Caylee had been lucky enough to find her brothers quickly.

"You know, that's pretty ingenious," Zuko said after the yelling died away. "Turning their sister orange like that. I'm impressed." Katara glared at her husband.

A/N: So here's the first light-hearted one. As I said, they feature Lily's Zutara kids from her fic Moments. You should read it. shamelessly pimps :D Yeah...Please review!

Oh, and yes, people really can turn orange from too much carrots. It takes a while, so someone would have noticed, but we'll ignore that...

-Jade


	4. 35 Sixth Sense

****

35. Sixth Sense

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, or The Sixth Sense. _And if you haven't seen this movie, STAY AWAY! Spoilers abound._**

Katara walked into Zuko's living room and swung herself onto the couch as if she owned the place. She virtually did. She owned Zuko, who had possession of the house, so she supposed by extension, she owned it too.

Her boyfriend was currently engrossed in a movie. It looked sort of old, so Katara was surprised he was watching it. Zuko was more the type to watch newer movies than reminisce or whatever with oldies.

After a few seconds of watching, Katara realized what the movie was.

"Oh!" she exclaimed upon realization. "The Sixth Sense! Totally didn't see the 'Bruce Willis is a ghost' thing coming."

Beside her, Zuko stiffened. She turned to see him with his eyes shut tight, looking rather peeved. She glanced back and forth between the movie and the man before connecting two and two.

"Oh, geeze," she said remorsefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

Zuko visibly relaxed, though he still didn't look exceedingly pleased. He sighed heavily and turned off the movie.

"And I was actually kind of enjoying that," he said, sounding wistful. "You do realize you owe me?" He asked it in a pleasant voice, but Katara winced in apprehension.

"Yeah…" she answered slowly. "What do you want? I don't have any money."

Zuko smiled pleasantly. "Oh, nothing like that. You cost me my entertainment for the afternoon. You're going to replace it."

Katara backed up against the armrest of the couch as Zuko leaned toward her, smirking predatorily. Firmly telling the butterflies in her stomach to stay still, she asked, "What do you have in mind?"

A few moments later, when she was struggling to breathe past Zuko's mouth on her own, Katara decided that ruining the movie was worth it. And then some.

* * *

A/N: Woohoo! Cheesy ending FTW! Yeah, just review please. And read the A/N at the end of last chapter before reviewing it! I know people don't turn orange overnight. Really and truly I do.

-Jade


	5. 26 Teammates

**26. Teammates**

A/N: Okay, so I'm a bit mean to Aang, and Zuko and Katara are just slightly OOC, but it's for the good of the cause…right…Also, it doesn't follow the line of the show as accurately as it could.

Disclaimer: I own a small horde of children! …and no, they do not go by 'The Gaang', so you can put your lawsuits down.

* * *

They were caught. They were so caught, it wasn't even funny. Zuko scrambled for his shirt as Katara straightened her hair and fixed two hasty hair loopies. Another knock came at the door.

Zuko shoved his head through the top of his shirt and opened the door, ruffling his hair. Sokka and Aang looked in to see Katara reading a water bending scroll and breathing slightly faster than normal. Sokka's eyebrow rose in suspicion when he noticed Zuko was breathing a bit hard as well, but Aang just smiled and walked into the room.

"Hey, guys," he said happily, taking a seat on Katara's bed. "What took you so long? We were knocking on the door for a while."

"We were practicing some water bending forms to help Zuko learn some defensive moves," Katara said easily. "You know fire bending, all attack, no defense." Aang nodded, understanding what she was talking about after having learned the basics of fire bending in the last few days since his and Zuko's return from the Sun Warriors' civilization.

"It's not like your techniques are all that much better," Zuko said in what was definitely not a pout.

"I didn't hear you complaining," Katara said with a smile that said she wasn't talking just about water versus fire bending. Zuko took on the slightest hint of a blush that could have been (and was, by some) interpreted as angry color.

"My methods have their assets too. As you've told me before." Zuko smirked as Katara joined him in blushing.

As Katara retorted, Aang looked between his two friends and sighed. Not the bickering again. They'd been at it almost nonstop since Zuko joined them. There had been a reprieve for a week or so, but then it had gone back to petty word fights on a regular basis. Sure, they seemed more lighthearted, but Aang wished Zuko and Katara knew how to do something else with each other besides argue.

"Guys!" Aang interrupted them. Zuko and Katara both turned, looking surprised that Aang had sounded irritated. Jeez, it was like they enjoyed this or something, Aang thought, mentally groaning. "Stop bickering all the time. Can't you just kiss and make up?"

The others in the room, including Sokka, gave him the oddest looks until Aang realized his wording and quickly backpedaled.

"I…I mean figuratively! You know what I mean!" Aang walked off in a huff, embarrassed.

Sokka remained where he was, silent, and giving Katara what she knew was The Look. The Look that said I know there's something going on and I'll figure it out come hell or high water unless you explain it right now. She fidgeted with a string on her skirt and carefully looked at Not Sokka.

"What's going on between you two?" Sokka asked with no warning. Both Zuko and Katara sputtered and began explaining that Sokka was crazy in two different versions.

Sokka interrupted them with a hand gesturing for silence. "I know something has changed. You should just tell me and get it over with." It sounded like a good idea, but they'd discussed this, and telling Sokka would be the opposite of getting it over with.

Katara sighed and put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Sokka, you're my brother, I would tell you if something were going on that you should know about."

"We're just teammates, that's the extent of it," Zuko added. "We just get along better and it's taking you some getting used to."

Sokka glared silently at them for a moment before letting his features relax. He still looked like he wasn't the happiest camper in the bunch, but he'd accepted their explanation. "Yeah, whatever," he said, walking out. "Just be out here in time to make dinner. I'm not letting Aang force vegetarian stuff on me again."

Zuko and Katara breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. They both jumped, arms wrapping around each other in fright when a voice said "Boo." Toph walked around the corner, laughing a bit to herself. Zuko and Katara backed off, laughing uneasily, and glancing sidelong at each other.

"Nice cover," Toph said. "I could barely tell you were hiding anything."

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked hesitantly. "We're not hiding-"

Toph rolled her eyes sightlessly. "Oh, come on, Sweetness. I can tell when people lie, and you were so close it's scary. I heard that twisting of words. _Something that you should know about_, huh?" she said, taking on a higher pitch for katara's voice. "I don't think you think Sokka _should_ know about you and Loverboy."

Though she couldn't see it, Toph would have been proud of the color Katara's face turned in response to this. Instead, Toph only turned to Zuko with a questioning gaze focused somewhere near his right shoulder.

"Don't know how you did it, Sparky." She sounded a bit confused. "You didn't twist your words around, but it still sounded like a half-truth to my feet. And I know you're not that good at lying."

Zuko smirked self-assuredly, but said nothing. Toph made a thinking noise before walking off in the direction Sokka had gone. She stopped after a few steps and turned back to face them.

"Oh, and could you try not to make so much noise? You're keeping me up at night." Satisfied that her job was done judging by the erratic heartbeats that accompanied embarrassment, Toph laughed and continued on her way.

When they were sure there would be no more interruptions, Zuko and Katara went back to Katara's room, shutting the door behind them.

"So how _did _you managed to fool Toph's lie detecting feet?" Katara asked. Zuko took a seat on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, Katara immediately leaning into the touch.

"Well, I said we were teammates and nothing beyond that," he answered, moving to kiss along her neck. "We're on a team. And the second half of the word…" He trailed off as Katara's face colored again.

* * *

A/N: 8D Implied stuff amuses me to no end. Ah, I blame my friend PB for this one. I saw teammates and thought, "Mates, huh?"

Anyway, reviews would be appreciated muchly!

-Jade


	6. 20 Colorless

20. Colorless

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. I do, however, own quite a bit of emoaangst, apparently.

* * *

Katara had to fight to breathe. She'd just narrowly avoided death, without even trying. It had been avoided for her. And now she was pretty sure her breath was becoming even more shallow than Zuko's as he lay there, his life leaking out before her.

Something had short circuited in her brain, so that she couldn't even get enough brain power to bend. To heal him. And he needed it so badly right now. Right now or never again.

Gasping on her own air, Katara jolted herself into bending, pulling the water out of her pouch in a wavering stream. She focused on the internal passageways his blood made, and tried not to look at him. That's what had broken her a moment ago.

The blood she could handle. Even the ragged way his chest moved as he tried to gulp at the air around him. She could even work past the horrific tear in his chest where little blue zaps still played havoc over his skin in the remnants of Azula's final strike.

But she couldn't see any of the passion that he embodied. She saw none of the fire, strength, vigor that he normally wore like a skin. He was empty, it seemed. It froze her breath and something in her wailed at the sight of seeing him so colorless.

* * *

A/N: Woohoo for emoliness! Okay, reviews are appreaciated, please!

Jade


	7. 6 Hours

6. Hours

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Avatar or AOL Instant Messenger. So sad to be rightless in the world...

* * *

Zuko tapped impatiently on his desk. He glanced at the computer screen next to him for what felt like the thousandth time in the last five minutes. Seeing that what he was waiting for hadn't appeared yet, he turned away in disgust. She wasn't on yet.

Spinning a pencil between his fingers, Zuko mused, very bored. This was probably not healthy, he thought to himself. One shouldn't be wasting away in front of the computer for a girl who's name was still a mystery.

Zuko had met her online and they'd begun talking via instant messenger for a few weeks. It had become a terrible addiction for him. He'd threatened to smash Azula's face in when she got him grounded from the internet for a few days. She'd laughed, but it still wasn't the kindest thing to say to your sibling, and he'd lost another day as punishment.

This was the second day back online. She'd been ticked off at him for being absent for almost a week with no warning, but he'd explained and they were back on good terms.

Zuko nearly jumped out of his skin when a short, cheerful tune erupted from his laptop, alerting him that someone had just signed onto AIM. He leaned forward quickly and a grin grew on his face at seeing the name that had just popped up. WatrGrl72 had just signed on.

BluSpirit99: hey

WatrGrl72: hey, what's up?

BluSpirit99: not much. just surfing the net. you?

WatrGrl72: listening to my bro & gf makeout. lol

BluSpirit99: lol, lucky you

WatrGrl72: …shut up.

BluSpirit: so. you gonna tell me your name yet??

Zuko looked hopefully at the message he'd just typed. He'd been wanting to know for a while. He had a feeling he knew who it was, but hadn't dared ask the girl to her face. He knew she went to his school, and that had narrowed the possibilities down drastically.

WatrGrl72: promise your not some crazy stalker??

BluSpirit99: lol, on my honor

WatrGrl72: lol, I'll give u a hint

WatrGrl72: it's starts with a K…

Zuko smiled to himself. He knew it. Katara.

He glanced at the clock. It was already eleven, but he knew they'd still be talking for hours, like they did every night.

* * *

A/N: "_on my honor_" Yeah, I couldn't resist. Sorry. Just a short little drabble, a bit more lighthearted than the last. Hopefully more are to come soon. And updates for Academy if I'm motivated.

Reviews, please! Reviewers are my best friends!

-Jade


	8. 13 Yellow

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Unless some weird twist of fate lands the rights in my lap.

A/N: See? I didn't die! …you can all kill me now. Sorry, I haven't really been writing anything I like lately.

**13. Yellow**

Katara took on the nursing responsibilities for all of her friends after the final battle in the Fire Nation, though there were plenty of healers who would gladly, and most honoredly take the job. The water bender felt it was her place to finish taking care of what was now her family before they all left to their different places in the world.

Sokka and Suki would already have been gone except for Sokka's broken leg, which Katara insisted on healing, then letting rest for a few weeks. Sure, her healing worked in a bind, but it was best to let the leg have some time to heal naturally.

Aang was still getting what could be called physical therapy for the scar on his back. The other injuries he'd collected consisted of a mass of bruises and a fractured wrist. They would heal fast enough, but he'd be hanging around until Katara was satisfied that Azula's mark had stopped troubling him.

Toph was harder to hang onto, but easier in some respects. She hadn't suffered much damage at all, though she liked to complain that she had. Mostly, it was her dread of seeing her parents again. With the battle over, she really had no excuse to stay away from them, but she was resisting as much as possible. Katara couldn't bring herself to mind. She'd had no way of keeping the blind girl close otherwise.

Zuko. Zuko was…a slightly different story. He'd been shot in the chest with lightning, so it wasn't hard to see that he'd have to stay down for a while. Katara had, in truth, done a fantastic job healing the wound, but he would have a scar to match the one on Aang's back. Other than that obvious damage, Zuko really hadn't taken too much of a beating. He'd had a few burns, but they didn't bother him like they would have done to someone whose element wasn't fire. He'd come out with a nasty bruise on his shoulder, though, that Katara was watching over carefully.

It really shouldn't have, but it bothered Katara when it started turning yellow. That meant it was healing. Good, right? But the same day the bruise had begun to fade into a sickly yellow-healing color, Mai had arrived. Just when Katara had informed Zuko that her job was virtually done, Mai had entered the tent, and Katara had wished she could swallow her words and pretend they never happened.

Zuko left for the capital the same day. It hurt more than it should have; more than it did when Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang all left. Because she'd known Sokka and Suki were planning to leave for Kyoshi. She knew Toph really needed to see her parents again, wanted to even. She knew Aang would end up hunting down Guru Pathik. But, somehow, she'd never looked ahead to when Zuko would leave. It hadn't processed.

As she watched him walk away, the first of her friends to leave, and the last she'd expected to, it hurt more than she'd admit. But, eventually, that blow would bruise, turn yellow, just like his, and heal too.


	9. 42 Triangle

Disclaimer: Raise your hand if you think I own Avatar. …yeah, didn't think so.

A/N: Set when they were still training for the big battle.

**42. Triangle**

There was something entirely not fair about what was happening between Katara, and Aang, and Zuko. Toph had decided this approximately three point seven minutes ago. Aang had been practicing water bending with Katara when Zuko had butted in to pull Aang away for fire bending lessons. The 'prince' had already been dressed for the occasion, meaning he was minus one shirt. Katara hadn't even listened when Aang had said he was sorry they had to stop.

Aang hadn't noticed his crush was preoccupied with staring at his fire bending teacher, but said teacher certainly had. Toph could have felt that smirk of his, even without her talented feet. She might have even caught the way Katara's heartbeat sped up. Bur Aang? Aang was far too busy hoping.

Toph would call it dreaming, but dreams were things that didn't need a logical base. This actually had logic attached, which probably made it worse. Toph, being the most easily bored of their group, had 'witnessed' enough interaction to know that Aang had a chance. Maybe not a fighting chance, but at least a bit of a chance. She thought it would really only make matters worse when Katara chose Zuko over him. Though Toph really couldn't bring herself to feel any malice toward the water bender. She could see it would hurt Katara too, but that was just the way it was. You can't make yourself love one person any more, or another any less.

Toph didn't see much of a downside for Zuko. Of course, she then rethought it, factoring in how Aang and Zuko had developed a father-son relationship, and how Aang had a tendency to go a bit over-the-top about Katara. She'd figured Zuko would either end up losing what was surely the only girl who'd truly loved him back, or he would get the girl along with an angry Avatar/son figure.

Sometimes, Toph figured it just kind of sucked to be in a triangle, no matter how entertaining it could be to watch.

* * *

A/N: Guilt and sudden, unwarranted inspiration has caused me to write two in one night. Sweet…


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